Drop the charges now! Defend student activists! Justice for the Tampa 5!

Action Items

1. Use the top form above to sign onto this statement (below) as an individual and share widely

2. Raise this statement (below) within your organization (community organization, labor union, activist group, etc.), and go through whatever process your organization uses to endorse this statement on behalf of the organization. Use the second form (red) above for organizational endorsements.

3. Call the university president and demand they drop the charges on the Tampa 5: (813)-417-5292

4. Donate to support the Tampa 5: https://gofund.me/5765e559

5. Follow the Emergency Committee to Defend the Tampa 5 on Instagram and Facebook. Also follow Tampa Bay SDS on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. More information, including past statements, can be found at the Tampa Bay SDS website and in this media toolkit: https://www.tinyurl.com/tampa5

Statement: Drop the charges now! Defend student activists! Justice for the Tampa 5!

On March 6, 2023, members of Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society held a rally on the University of South Florida campus to defend diversity in higher education. At the rally, four women activists were suddenly and violently assaulted by USF police before being arrested. Later, on April 4, another student received a communication of the university’s intent to charge her with additional misdemeanors and a felony – just like the other 4 activists.

The Tampa 5 – Chrisley Carpio, Gia Davila, Lauren Pineiro, Laura Rodriguez, and Jeanie K. deserve our support. They disrupted no campus activities, damaged no property, and did nothing wrong. Several video recordings of the event show the aggressive and unprovoked way that USF police grabbed these young women, slammed them into walls, groped them inappropriately, and placed them in chokeholds. Video captured at the event has already amassed over 6 million views on TikTok, and can be viewed here.

In addition to alleged code of conduct violations and misdemeanor charges, the Tampa 5 are facing felony charges. Once again, the police are lying about what happened, despite video evidence clearly showing the police going on an unprovoked rampage. Several of the activists lost their jobs after these unjust arrests. Chrisley Carpio is a union member (AFSCME Local 3342) and is still fighting to save her job at the University despite having a spotless record.

The administration at the University of South Florida want to intimidate students and youth who exercise their freedom of speech. The activists held the original rally on March 6 to protect higher education from Governor Ron DeSantis’s attacks on diversity, equality, inclusion (DEI) and multicultural programs. There is absolutely no evidence that the Tampa 5 or any of the activists did anything to provoke the outrageous response from campus police. The hearings concerning the expulsion of student activists who were violently attacked must be stopped and the code of conduct charges against them dropped.

We support these brave women and demand that the charges against the Tampa 5 be dropped immediately. We stand in solidarity with the Tampa 5 and show our unwavering commitment to defending all who stand for peace, higher learning, and diversity.

Drop the charges now! Bring Chrisley back to work!

Defend diversity in higher education! Activism is not a crime!

Organizational Endorsements

  • Freedom Road Socialist Organization
  • Students for a Democratic Society, Cal Poly Humboldt, CA
  • Tallahassee Community Action Committee, FL
  • Panhandle Progressive Coalition, FL
  • Tom Wells for Congress District 3, FL
  • Young Democratic Socialists of America, Loyola University, NO
  • Students for a Democratic Society, University of Illinois Chicago
  • Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
  • Tampa Bay Community Action Committee
  • Progressive Student Union at University of Washington, Seattle
  • Reconstruction Committee, Chicago, IL
  • Students United University of New Orleans
  • Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
  • Students for a Democratic Society at UW-Milwaukee
  • Joan of Arc Group, Chicago, IL
  • Trans Pride Initiative, Dallas, TX
  • Women in Struggle – Mujeres en Lucha
  • Socialist Unity Party
  • Minnesota Climate Justice Committee
  • Minnesota Anti-War Committee
  • DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
  • MIRAC – Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee
  • Real Name Campaign – New Orleans
  • Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
  • Crookston High School Students for a Democratic Society, MN
  • Filipino American Student Association, University of Washington Seattle
  • Justice for Palestinians, San José, CA
  • Arab American Action Network (AAAN)
  • U.S. Palestinian Community Network
  • Associazione per la Pace, Pordenone, Italy
  • NAARPR Dallas
  • Orange County CSO, CA
  • Malaya Movement, FL
  • Dallas Anti-War Committee
  • Black Star Farmers, Seattle, WA
  • Students for a Democratic Society, Golden, CO
  • Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
  • Milwaukee Anti-War Committee
  • Florida State University Students for a Democratic Society, Tallahasee, FL
  • Texas Students for DEI
  • The Queer Notion, Tampa, FL
  • Denver/Aurora Community Action Committee
  • Coalition for Civil Freedoms, Washington, DC
  • Resist US-Led War Seattle
  • Anakbayan USA
  • TEYA (Teachers Empowering Youth Activists), San Jose, CA
  • Malaya South Bay, San Jose, CA
  • Queer Trans Project, Jacksonville, FL
  • Jacksonville Community Action Committee
  • FSU and Big Rapids Coalition for Jobs, MI
  • Students for a Democratic Society, Oakland Community College, MI
  • New York Community Action Project – NYCAP
  • Bowling Green Student Rights Association (BGSRU), OH
  • Texas State Employees Union, CWA Local 6186, TX
  • Defend Rights & Dissent, Washington, DC
  • Students for a Democratic Society, Kent State University, OH
  • United Campus Workers of Arizona Local 7065, Student Caucus, AZ
  • The Young Democratic Socialists of America at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
  • Issaquah Students’ League, WA
  • Central Florida Jobs with Justice
  • San Jose May Day Coalition, CA
  • Peoples Power Assembly, Baltimore, MD
  • Fox Valley Citizens for Peace & Justice, IL
  • Eko Social Justice, El Monte, CA
  • Hillsborough Country Democratic Black Caucus, Tampa, FL
  • Virginia Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
  • Mientras Haya Amor Hay Esperanza, Chicago, IL
  • United Labor Unions Local 100, New Orleans, LA
  • College of Arts and Letters, Department of History, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ
  • CU Boulder YDSA